“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where one ends, and where the other begins?” – Edgar Allan Poe, Premature Burial, 1844

In celebration of All Hallows’ Eve, The Gardener’s Eden proudly presents a ghostly photographic tour of the Forest Hills Cemetery through the eyes of artist Liz Kelleher. No Halloween ever feels complete without a twilight stroll through a shadowy, mysterious graveyard. And what better haunt than a lonely old cemetery in the heart of New England?

Welcome to Forest Hills Cemetery, located in a quiet corner of Boston, Massachusetts. This historic, Victorian-style landmark was designed in 1848. Planned and operated as a living-memorial, Forest Hills Cemetery is an active burial ground within a magnificent 275 acre landscape. Today this beautiful and haunting place serves many purposes. The cemetery includes an impressive arboretum, winding paths, modern and historic sculpture and a quiet body of water known as Lake Hibiscus. As an outdoor museum, the cemetery gives us a glimpse into another world – a time long gone. Perhaps overshadowed by the far more famous Mt. Auburn Cemetery in nearby Cambridge, this somewhat forgotten and always eerie ‘garden of memories’ is also the eternal home and final resting place of many historic Boston figures. These souls include activists, (such as William Lloyd Garrison and Lucy Stone), poets, playwrights, (including Anne Sexton, ee cummings, Eugene O’Neil and Martin Milmore), and other famous, late-citizens of New England…

So now… Take Liz’s hand as she drifts through the empty garden. Brush close against the cold tombs, like the ivy and hydrangea, which caress the solemn angels as they silently guard the spirits within the iron gate. What souls watch as we make our way past the towering celtic crosses, tiny headstones and lost lambs? Can you hear the long ago voices in the whispering wind and the callous croaking of the crow? Watch as ancient trees bow down; hovering above the chilly, stone-mourners as their shadows elongate; reaching toward the grand arch; grasping desperately at the last rays of light…

Happy Haunting My Friends…

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All photography in this post is copyright Liz Kelleher, used here with permission, courtesy of the artist

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